Main event: Texas Rangers sale will likely have impact on RedHawks' future

The baseball teams in Arlington and Oklahoma City are going through the sale process.

It's the sale of the Texas Rangers that figures to have more impact on the field in Oklahoma City.

Texas Rangers team president Nolan Ryan sits at a news conference following the announcement the the ball club had acquired Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee in a trade before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Friday, July 9, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The Rangers thought they had a deal negotiated in January that would've seen former Rangers star and current team president Nolan Ryan and Pittsburgh sports attorney Chuck Greenberg take over ownership of the franchise.

But creditors questioned whether the Ryan-Greenberg deal was the best financial deal for them, so the team filed for bankruptcy in hopes of expediting the sale.

As of this weekend, the Rangers are scheduled for an Aug. 4 auction that could see the Ryan-Greenberg group or another come away with the team, pending ownership approval by Major League Baseball.

If the group led by Ryan buys the team, the possibility of the Rangers going a different direction with their Triple-A franchise is high.

Ryan is the owner of Round Rock Express, the Astros' current Triple-A affiliate. And like the RedHawks, the Express' Player Development Contract is up after this year.

It makes sense for Ryan to consolidate his interests into one organization. If the Ryan-Greenberg group doesn't wind up with ownership, or if the sale drags on much past the end of the year, there is much less incentive for the Rangers to tinker with a partnership that has lasted nearly 30 years.